The clinic smelled like money. Not the sharp chemical smell of regular hospitals. This was lavender and something expensive I couldn't name. Soft instrumental music played from hidden speakers. The chairs in the VIP waiting area were cream leather, deep enough to sink into. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed Central Park below, all green and gold in the afternoon light.
I settled into a chair near the window and pulled out the baby-name book Leland had slipped into my bag this morning. A yellow sticky note was pressed to the cover in his neat handwriting: *I vote for anything that doesn't rhyme with 'Leland.' Love you both.* I smiled despite myself. He'd drawn a terrible stick figure of himself holding a smaller stick figure. The baby, I guessed. Or maybe a very ugly dog.
My hand went to my belly. Six months. The bump was real now, impossible to hide. I'd stopped trying. Let them look. Let them whisper. I was Elyse Griffin now. Not Elyse Rivera, the ex-con who took the fall for fraud she didn't commit. Not Elyse Stewart, the barren wife who couldn't give her husband children.
I was someone new. Someone loved.
The elevator chimed.
I didn't look up right away. I was reading a page about Irish names. Leland's grandmother was Irish. Margaret would like that.
Then I heard his voice.
"No, I told them we'd be here at three. Just—Delaney, can you please—"
My whole body went cold.
I looked up.
Karson stood ten feet away, his phone pressed to his ear. He wore a charcoal suit that probably cost two thousand dollars. His hair was still dark, still neat. But something was different. Thinner, maybe. The lines around his mouth were deeper. He looked like a man who didn't sleep well.
Good.
Delaney was beside him, her hand wrapped around his arm like a vine. She wore a cream wrap dress and nude heels. Her hair was glossy, her makeup perfect. She looked exactly like the kind of woman who married up and spent every waking hour making sure no one forgot it.
Karson's eyes swept the waiting room. They landed on me.
He froze.
For a second, neither of us moved. I watched his face cycle through surprise, confusion, and then something I couldn't name. Something that looked almost like pain.
He lowered his phone slowly. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"Elyse?"
I said nothing.
He took a step forward. Delaney's grip on his arm tightened, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes dropped to my belly. To the curve pressing against my dress. To the black-card VIP wristband on my wrist.
"I—" He cleared his throat. "I didn't know you were... Are you—"
"Pregnant," I said. My voice came out flat. "Yes."
His face did something complicated. "That's... that's wonderful. Really. I'm happy for you."
Liar.
Delaney stepped forward, her smile bright and sharp. "Elyse! Oh my God, it's been so long." She touched her own stomach, a small, deliberate gesture. "We're here for a checkup too. Isn't that funny? Running into each other like this."
I looked at her. Really looked. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. Her nails, painted pale pink, dug slightly into Karson's sleeve.
"Hilarious," I said.
Karson shifted his weight. "How have you been? I mean, are you... doing okay? Taking care of yourself?"
There it was. That tone. The one that said *poor Elyse* without saying it out loud. The one that suggested I was fragile. Broken. Something to be pitied.
I closed the baby-name book. Stood. My belly made it slower than it used to be, but I didn't care. I met his eyes.
"Karson," I said quietly. "You look exactly the same."
I walked past them. Past Delaney's frozen smile. Past Karson's open mouth. The VIP wing doors opened automatically. I stepped through and didn't look back.
Behind me, I heard Delaney hiss something low and sharp. Heard Karson say, "What? I didn't—"
The doors closed.
---
That night, I sat in the bath at the penthouse. The water was warm, almost too warm, but I didn't move. My hands rested on my belly. The baby kicked once, twice. Little flutters.
I stared at the tile wall and saw nothing.
The door opened. Leland didn't ask if I was okay. He never did. He just sat on the edge of the tub, rolled up his sleeves, and reached for the shampoo.
His hands were gentle in my hair. Careful. Like I was something precious.
A tear slid down my cheek. Just one. I didn't wipe it away.
Leland's thumb caught it. He said nothing.
He didn't need to.
The past had walked back into my world today. It had stood ten feet away in a charcoal suit and asked if I was doing okay.
And I had walked away.
But it wasn't over.
I could feel it in my bones.
It wasn't over yet.
